WD Elements SE 500gb hard drive broke :(

[mrsbradders]

Hi there, came across this site when i was searching for help with my WD external hard drive. I am devastated to say the least. For some reason it is no longer working, and has my entire life on it! Im hoping and praying i can somehow get the files off it, but not holding my breath. I have done some googling, and come across various tests to try, recovery software to download, but i cant get anything to work.

I plug it in, it lights up, it shows in device management, however in disk management it says its under Disc 2, and when i click disk management it wont allow me to right click, assign a letter etc, because it comes up with the error message, You must initialize a disk before you can access it.

So i tried the partition, find & mount software, tried the first 2 scans and no partitions found, (currently running the thorough scan) but it would seem its going to take hours on end.

Also installed and tried the Photorec software, but it finds no volumes.

Pretty please with a cherry on top, someone tell me all is not lost, and i can get my files back somehow, with some form of miracle.

Thanks

Gem

[pcimage]

Is it making any strange clicking/ticking/buzzing noises? Or spinning down?

If it sounds normal then it's almost certainly a firmware issue, triggered by media degradation/damage.

If the data is really important, then I suggest you send it to a proper data recovery place (e.g. Us!) before it fails totally. At this point (assuming no physical issues) recovery shouldn't be mega-bucks!

But of course, it's your data so your choice if you wish to risk DIY attempts

[mrsbradders]

Nope, not making any strange noises, not making any noise at all. xx

[MindMergepk]

Is it making any strange clicking/ticking/buzzing noises? Or spinning down?

If it sounds normal then it's almost certainly a firmware issue, triggered by media degradation/damage.

If the data is really important, then I suggest you send it to a proper data recovery place (e.g. Us!) before it fails totally. At this point (assuming no physical issues) recovery shouldn't be mega-bucks!

But of course, it's your data so your choice if you wish to risk DIY attempts

+1

[lcoughey]

Is it making any strange clicking/ticking/buzzing noises? Or spinning down?

If it sounds normal then it's almost certainly a firmware issue, triggered by media degradation/damage.

If the data is really important, then I suggest you send it to a proper data recovery place (e.g. Us!) before it fails totally. At this point (assuming no physical issues) recovery shouldn't be mega-bucks!

But of course, it's your data so your choice if you wish to risk DIY attempts

+1 this, but will go further and recommend pcimage.co.uk as a reputable lab in the UK.

[rogfanther]

Is it making any strange clicking/ticking/buzzing noises? Or spinning down?

If it sounds normal then it's almost certainly a firmware issue, triggered by media degradation/damage.

If the data is really important, then I suggest you send it to a proper data recovery place (e.g. Us!) before it fails totally. At this point (assuming no physical issues) recovery shouldn't be mega-bucks!

But of course, it's your data so your choice if you wish to risk DIY attempts

+1 this, but will go further and recommend pcimage.co.uk as a reputable lab in the UK.

+1 to pcimage

[fzabkar]

You can try to read the drive's firmware modules. This will tell us what is wrong. If the drive is afflicted with damage to particular modules, eg 32, then there may be a simple DIY fix.

Scott Dwyer's HDDSuperTool has a script that should read all the firmware.

http://www.sdcomputingservice.com/hddsupertool

The demo versions of WDMarvel and SeDiv for WD should be able to do it as well.

[mrsbradders]

Took it to a local computer store, who usually can get stuff off, and he said its making a clicking noise, so he couldnt do anything with it

[jermy]

Then send it to a DATA RECOVERY PRO and NOT to a computer shop
pcimage.co.uk is highly recommend

[pcimage]

Nope, not making any strange noises, not making any noise at all. xx

Took it to a local computer store, who usually can get stuff off, and he said its making a clicking noise, so he couldnt do anything with it

Sorry to be blunt, but now is the time to stop letting amateurs "have a crack" at it

Let's hope it's not too late.

DO NOT, repeat.... DO NOT power it up any more.

[mrsbradders]

Hi guys, i sent it to a PRO - data clinic to be precise, They have diagnosed to to be unrecoverable. Apparantly it has had a 'head crash' and something to do with the platters being welded, they managed get one off but not the other, so donor parts would be pointless as they wouldnt be able to swap them over. I am absolutely devastated. thanks for all your input.

[lcoughey]

Hi guys, i sent it to a PRO - data clinic to be precise, They have diagnosed to to be unrecoverable. Apparantly it has had a 'head crash' and something to do with the platters being welded, they managed get one off but not the other, so donor parts would be pointless as they wouldnt be able to swap them over. I am absolutely devastated. thanks for all your input.

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Assuming that they didn't completely mess up the drive, I'd still consider taking it to him for a second opinion.

[pcimage]

Don't know much about Data Clinics to be honest, but I'm still happy to take a look.

And I'll waive our £100+vat "Open drive fee" to evaluate it and report on what's actually wrong with it.